A Tale of Two Monsters
by Chayner
Summary: Just your average boy meets girl situation. Except the boy is a Minus at everything, and the girl is an abused, lonely monster. A match made in hell, some would say. Still, what could go wrong from such an unholy union? Or rather, in Kumagawa's case, what could possibly go right? Who knows? Perhaps he might just find a proper victory for once.
1. Enter The Minus

**Disclaimer:** **I own nothing besides the original concepts and narratives that I have introduced in this story.**

* * *

 **A Tale of Two Monsters,**

 **Chapter 1:**

 **Enter the Minus,**

* * *

 _Who am I?_

 _Back then, that question never even crossed my mind._

 _I was trapped in that room for as far back as I can remember. That room was the entirety of my world. A closed world that would never touch what lay outside the windows._

 _I felt like I had even older memories, but I soon forgot them. I didn't know who took care of me, either. Probably a stand-in for what you'd call a mother._

 _One day, for the first and only time, she brought me something that wasn't food._

 _It was a picture book._

 _As I turned the pages, its bright colors jumped out at me, as did various shapes. It had words too, but I couldn't understand them. And after that day, she never showed up again._

 _Anyway, this book was my first "pretty thing". The outside world surely had many more. That's what I innocently believed in that moment._

 _It turned out that I was half right..._

 _...and half wrong._

 _But more importantly... I realized that I wasn't as alone as I first thought._

 _Because I met him._

 _He was another monster._

 _Just like me._

* * *

A boy in his late teens was standing still in the middle of a snowstorm, glancing around in mild curiosity and overall looking like he didn't have a single care in the world.

The cold air snapping harshly at his skin certainly didn't seem to bother him.

His appearance could be easily summed up as generic, from the simple white shirt and black pants that he was wearing, down to his messy black hair and slightly drooping blue eyes. All in all, he seemed to fit the word average much better than anyone else.

And yet, the dark and unsettling aura he seemed to be exuding simply through his presence alone was painting a completely different picture of him. The ominous air surrounding every inch of his being coupled with his unnerving expression was probably enough to make most people avoid him like the plague.

Despite the fact that he was only wearing summer clothes during a blizzard, the boy had a frivolous smile plastered on his face.

「Well, I guess that just happened. 」 He said to no one in particular, briefly closing his eyes in something that could have been easily mistaken for acceptance. 「Hmm, I'm not even mad about it. How strange, indeed.」 He rubbed his chin in thought. 「Maybe it's because I was told I could find a proper victory in this place? Hmm, yes. That's probably it.」

But then again, he wasn't given any other details besides the fact that he was supposed to be in another world now. To send him away with little to no information of his whereabouts, it was as expected of Anshin'in.

After pondering his situation for a moment, the dark haired boy shrugged nonchalantly. 「Oh well. Whatever. What's done is done.」 He spread his arms wide at his sides and smirked with confidence. 「Besides, it's not unlike Kumagawa Misogi to forge his own path through life with nothing but his sharp wits and unwavering determination!」

The boy introduced as Kumagawa briefly looked at the sky as if expecting something, before an unbelievably insincere pout crossed his face once he realized how his cool line just got wasted due to a lack of an audience.

「Ahhh, such misfortune!」 His dramatic wail didn't last for long, however, as his frivolous smile quickly returned a heartbeat later. 「I wonder what I should do next? Hmm...」

Initially, he was about to go on a self imposed exile. That's why he'd cut all contact with everyone and decided to give himself a challenge that he knew he couldn't possibly win.

But just as he was taking his first nap toward his new goal, he was surprisingly? met with another one of Ajimu's recordings. And long story short, she seemed to be convinced that he could use a better excuse for a vacation, so she generously took it upon herself to give him just that.

When he woke up, he was already admiring this harsh winter wonderland, with nothing but his clothes to keep him company. Speaking of which, he should probably get his school uniform back. They had been through so much together that he couldn't possibly allow that old soldier to get any retirement.

A simple thought later and his usual attire was back in place. The buttoned jacket really gave him a nostalgic feeling. He would definitely not give it away again without a second thought!

His clothing problem now solved, Kumagawa briefly wondered whether Ajimu was actually rooting for him even in her supposed death, or if this turn of events was just her messing with him yet again for some form of twisted enjoyment.

He didn't want to believe in the second option, but he had to be realistic here. After all, what kind of deranged person toyed with people like that anyway? He'd definitely be running in the opposite direction if he ever learned that such an unhinged maniac was on the loose.

Following a moment of silence, the Minus chuckled silently to himself, before dismissing his previous thoughts with a casual shrug.

Going back home, huh? Well, that would be a dumb thing to attempt at this point in time. His initial decision was to go off the radar, wasn't it? And in terms of self imposed exile, now that he thought about it, being sent to another world was like taking it up to eleven.

Heh. Ajimu had definitely outwitted him this time around.

As expected, he couldn't win so easily.

Then again, his current circumstances didn't really matter that much in the end. As per usual, he'd just have to make the most out of his dealt hand, no matter how crappy it was. Though judging by what he'd seen so far, it could've been waaay worse.

Kumagawa gave the snowy landscape another long, assessing look. He was starting to believe that he didn't end up in any type of harem manga setting. It was a really disheartening realization, but it wasn't enough to waver his smile.

He was a pure hearted boy, after all!

Anyway, the place around him looked like some sort of research facility. Totally the shady kind, if the hundred feet tall, thick concrete walls surrounding the perimeter were of any indication.

After almost ten minutes of standing still in the middle of the ongoing snowstorm, the Minus finally took his first step. For now, he decided to simply head toward the tallest building visible in the distance and see where that took him next.

His slow paced walk gave him ample time to better take in his surroundings.

Judging by the number of buildings scattered around the perimeter, the whole place looked a little too populated to be a simple research facility. It was pretty obvious to him that there was more to this place than met the eye. He just hoped that it would turn out to be something exciting.

Whistling a jaunty tune, Kumagawa decided to pass the time by counting any trees he walked past. But as he got closer to the tall building, something quickly caught his attention, snapping him out of his short lived game.

A dark haired kid, probably no older than six, was aimlessly walking through the snowstorm several feet away from him.

Normally, the Minus wouldn't have given this scene a second thought, but there was something about this little boy that seemed to deeply irk him. The vibe he was getting from him was too similar to that of a main character to ignore.

Placing his hands in his pockets for the added cool factor, Kumagawa quickened his pace and swiftly caught up to the thoughtful looking boy, who didn't seem to notice his presence until he verbally announced himself.

「Hey there, little boy who is silently brooding about something,」 Kumagawa greeted, his textbook practiced smile already in place. 「You don't happen to know where I could buy the latest volume of Weekly Shōnen Jump, do you?」

The young boy turned around with a start, a confused look on his face at the weird question. "Uh, I... I don't think I know what you're looking for..." he stammered, taken aback by the sudden approach.

Kumagawa merely kept his unchanging smile. 「Don't worry, I wasn't expecting you to answer my question anyway!」 His abnormally cheerful disposition didn't seem to help the boy's growing confusion in the least. 「So, what are you doing outside on this fine, wonderful snowstorm?」

The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering. "There's a girl being held in there..." He pointed at one of the tall buildings in the distance. "She's being hurt... I have to help her!"

Hearing that, Kumagawa smacked his fist in his palm in realization. 「Ah, I see!」 Despite his apparent enthusiasm, there was a subtle edge underlying his tone. 「You're trying to be a selfless hero, aren't you? How valiant! How noble! How inspiring!」

The young boy blinked in confusion. "Eh...?" He really didn't understand this odd person standing across from him. Was he a Parasite? Or just a younger Adult? He certainly didn't seem like the latter... But more importantly, has it been his imagination, or did he suddenly develop an unnerving air around him while saying that last part?

「Not that I dislike it or anything, but maybe you should reconsider your decision,」 Kumagawa said with a sharp smirk. 「One wrong step while playing hero, and you might end up being self sacrificing instead~!」

The offhanded comment quickly snapped the child from his musings. "I'm not trying to play hero!" he answered indignantly, though a glance at Kumagawa's dangerous expression took most of the heat out of his tone. "That girl is suffering! She really needs someone to help her!" His plaintive words didn't have much effect on the teen, though.

「That might be true, but I really doubt you can do much about it,」 Kumagawa pointed out nonchalantly, his usual disposition returning in full force. 「Chances are that you will suffer a tragic and painful death if you try anything reckless, so you better leave this problem to more experienced people. After all, there must be someone else willing to help, right?」

An unpleasant feeling of apprehension gripped the young boy at the casual mention of possible death. He hadn't really thought about it until now, but he could see the danger in trying to help that girl. The Adults might not take his meddling in their affairs too nicely. He was already pushing it enough with his curiosity and questions as it was lately.

The child remained silent for the better part of a minute, before his eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Then what about you, mister? Can't you help her then?" His voice was hopeful, despite the dejection he felt at his own powerlessness. "She shouldn't be treated like that. She doesn't deserve the pain..."

Kumagawa couldn't help but chuckle in response. 「Wow, you really remind me of that stubborn, self-righteous guy, Zenkichi, you know?」 Cupping his chin in a thoughtful pose, the Minus pondered for a moment. 「I'm not sure whether I should hug you or beat you senseless for giving me such a pleasantly unpleasant reminder of my past.」

The young boy visibly tensed as a foreboding aura surrounded the dark haired teen. Though in his childlike ignorance, he was unable to properly comprehend the deeply unsettling nature of the Minus standing before him.

It could be considered either fortunate of him or unfortunate, depending on how one viewed it.

The oppressive air surrounding Kumagawa disappeared shortly after. 「Just kidding~!」 he singsonged, raising a finger for emphasis.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, the young boy chose to remain silent for the time being, unsure of how to react to the teen's varying dispositions.

「But please don't be mistaken about something,」 the Minus continued, his frivolous smile back in place. 「I am definitely no hero. A twisted existence like myself could never hope to match up to such valiant and righteous ideals.」

The little boy looked confused once again. He was having a lot of trouble trying to understand what the strange teen was talking about. "So you can't help her?" he asked, eyes becoming downcast as his gaze lowered to his feet.

「Come on, I never said that, did I? So please don't try to guilt trip me, because you never know when it works,」 Kumagawa clarified, eyes narrowing for a moment. 「I'm not the type of person who helps someone just because that's the right thing to do. I'm the type of person who would do it on a whim, or because it might turn out to be exciting.」

The boy blinked in puzzlement.

"Huh?"

It wasn't the most eloquent of responses, but given the situation, the kid couldn't really be blamed, could he?

Kumagawa made a dismissive gesture with his hand. 「Anyway, don't worry about it. Since I've already decided to help her, she is definitely in good hands.」 The unsettling smirk on his face didn't really suit his supposedly assuring words. 「There is only so much anguish one can take before they inevitably break. I would know it, since I've seen it happen many times. I even knew someone who made breaking other people's hearts his hobby. I wonder what happened to that fellow?」 The Minus stroked his chin in thought. 「Hmm. Maybe he's having fun right now?」

The boy tried to ignore the parts of the conversation that didn't make sense. But despite his bafflement, he seemed much happier upon hearing the answer. "Thank you, mister, um..." he trailed off, realizing that he had yet to learn the stranger's name.

「Ah, of course, how could I forget it! I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I am Kumagawa Misogi, the weakest person in the world!」 the Minus answered with a cheer that didn't match his words, his trademark smile back in place. 「But call me Kumagawa, okay? I really don't want boys calling me by my given name. That one is for the girls only. Preferably cute and sexy girls~!」

The kid wasn't sure what to make of this enthusiastic speech, though a prolonged, blank stare from Kumagawa easily managed to snap him back to reality. "Ah, y-yes, nice to meet you! My name is Hiro!" he hastily replied, sounding a little embarrassed at his absentmindedness.

Kumagawa adopted a thoughtful pose in return. 「Hiro, you say?」 Rubbing his chin for a moment, he nodded in approval. 「Hmm, yes. That's a really good name for someone who is trying to act like a main character.」

Hiro merely kept silent. For some reason he felt it was better that way, even if it was mainly because he didn't know what to say in reply.

「Anyway, I'll be on my way now. I'll go look for that girl and see what I can do.」 Hands sliding in his pockets, the Minus straightened himself in a cool pose. 「Oh, and you should go back inside, unless you want to become a human popsicle in this nice snowstorm, of course. Then again, that might be an interesting experience?」

Hiro was about to turn around and walk away from the strange teen, but hearing that last comment made him pause for a moment. "Okay, but what about you?" he asked with some concern. "You're wearing even less than me. Aren't you feeling any cold?"

Kumagawa cocked his head sideways in confusion. 「Ehhh? Cold? Is it really that cold outside right now? I'm not feeling a thing~!」 But that was probably because he was already past the initial stages of hypothermia, which conveniently left his body devoid of most feeling. 「You see, my body is completely used to harsh conditions. Even if I somehow freeze over, I'll still be okay!」 It wouldn't be the first time, anyway. He'd been given the cold shoulder on numerous occasions. Both literally and figuratively.

Hiro offered a tentative nod in response, deciding against prolonging this strange discussion that he'd been having with this equally odd and unnerving person.

Seeing this, Kumagawa simply gave a small chuckle at his own joke, before turning around and walking in the direction where the boy had pointed him earlier. The building where that girl was supposed to be didn't seem to be too far, so he probably wouldn't end up having to use his Minus to unfreeze himself.

As he watched the older boy's retreating back, Hiro unconsciously sighed in relief. He'd been getting enough chills already, and he wasn't entirely sure if the cold weather was the only one responsible for that.

* * *

Kumagawa craned his head upward, a hand rubbing his chin as he appreciated the distance between himself and the balcony above. Yep, it was really, really, reeeally high. Well, maybe not _that_ high, but still!

Looking at the tall tree next to the building, the Minus smiled in apparent defeat. There was no way that he could climb so high up a tree. Last time he tried something like that, he ended up breaking his neck. It was pretty painful, and he didn't feel like having a repeat.

But luckily for him, there were other ways he could get up there without having to risk any sort of pain to do so. He briefly glanced around, searching for some kind of entrance, only to pout when he didn't find one.

Though it was probably for the better, since it would be a hassle if he had to deal with any security so early in the quest. After all, it was really common knowledge that you had to save the princess before fighting the dragon that kidnapped her. That way, at least you'd have done something remotely useful, in case you ended up being food for the dragon.

Then again, what did he know? He'd never managed to win any of those games, nor save a princess for that matter.

Kumagawa stared at the wall in front of him, a dubiously innocent smile on his face. Yep, this was the perfect way to go about it, no matter how lazy it seemed.

Numerous large Phillips screws suddenly manifested out of thin air, embedding themselves in the concrete wall in a zigzagging fashion. Admittedly, it looked pretty neat for something so hastily thought up. But that was besides the point here.

Smirking at his handiwork, the Minus nonchalantly made his way up the improvised staircase that reached all the way up to the glass windows of the balcony.

Kumagawa's brow rose in curiosity as he looked inside the room. It was the epitome of spartan, with only a sink and a toilet for the bare necessities. But that wasn't what caught his attention.

Lying on the cold floor, seemingly on the verge of passing out, was a little girl with red skin and matching horns that vaguely reminded him of an oni from whatever Japanese folklore he remembered. And judging by her appearance, she was probably less than half his age, but that little detail didn't seem to discourage the Minus.

On one hand, being the indiscriminate pervert that he was, he didn't mind appreciating the unique sight of a cute, veritable? monster girl lying on the floor barely conscious only a few feet away from him. On the other hand, however, there was genuine curiosity.

Heee?

It looked like his earlier hunch had been right on point. He'd just stumbled on something pretty interesting. Though knowing his luck, this was most likely another case of Anshin'in trying to mess with him.

He was a pure hearted boy, okay? He shouldn't be subjected to her whims so easily! He had his own life that he looked forward to living!

But that aside...

He was visibly surprised once he realized that he was more than just mildly intrigued by the sight before him. But it was pretty obvious why. At least to him, that was.

Sharp, broken edges were quite entrancing to behold. So easy to get cut while handling them. A simple touch, and you could bleed. And then, you would feel more alive than ever.

Now, don't get him wrong. He wasn't one to normally drop deep metaphors like this, but damn if this situation didn't deserve one. She was such a pretty little thing. Her frail and broken form, lying in exhaustion on the cold floor, covered only in a tattered black fabric to preserve her modesty.

But that wasn't it. Not really. Something as cheap as that image of vulnerability wouldn't be enough to genuinely rouse his interest. After all, he was no stranger to harsh things, was he? He wouldn't have bothered to consider her situation solely because of that.

A look at her face, however, was more than enough. Her tired, unfocused eyes told a story that perhaps no one else could have read as well as he did.

Those bright emeralds, half lidded with burden and pain, unfocused and downcast, their light heavily dulled by the harshness of life. A reflection of the unforgiving world visible through a simple glance.

He knew those eyes.

It was a familiar sight that he would see in the mirror every time he dropped his mask to remind himself of what he was.

Distorted. Damaged. Broken.

 _A Minus._

Though unlike his own, her eyes weren't completely hollow and devoid of light. They still held that tiny spark of innocence somewhere deep within. She was among the luckier few in that sense.

For a moment, Kumagawa wasn't sure whether to feel jealous or intrigued. After all, he'd never met someone like this girl before. A Minus who still had enough hope left for themselves that they didn't completely give up on their own person. He supposed that feeling a bit of both was only natural in this case.

Nevertheless, that didn't change what she was. He could tell. She was still a Minus through and through. Just like him. If not in the ability, then surely in mentality.

With a quiet chuckle, the teenage boy approached the window, purposefully alerting his presence to the young occupant of the room.

Blinking groggily through her haze of exhaustion, the little girl snapped awake with a start at the unexpected sight outside her room. Raising her head from the floor, her senses quickly became alert to the unfamiliar presence. She silently stared at the boy, wary and unmoving as her wide emerald eyes kept focused on his every action.

Kumagawa merely poked the window a couple times, looking like a child fiddling with a new toy. On the third poke, the whole glass panel disappeared like magic.

Obviously, he was the type who enjoyed breaking his toys, as with most other things around him for that matter.

「Looks like third time was the charm, huh? As expected of a cliché saying like that. It never disappoints, no matter how much I try.」

A cold rush of air swept through the room, causing the frail girl to jerk back with a start, eyes wide open in surprise. Her small mind couldn't wrap itself around what she just witnessed. The glass... was gone? Yes, her eyes weren't lying to her. It was definitely gone.

The smiling boy took a step inside the room, hands loosely at his sides in what looked like the epitome of nonchalance. Truly, his posture alone gave the impression that he was taking a leisure stroll instead of trespassing on private property.

Her inquisitive gaze being focused so intently on him, the little oni almost missed the brief instant when the window suddenly reappeared behind him like a magic trick intended to impress the audience.

Baffled even further by the inexplicable act, she continued to examine her strange guest as he kept standing there and smiling at her. Bright emerald eyes wide with curiosity never shifted away for a moment as a myriad of questions went through her mind, the answers currently unknown to her.

What was happening? Who was this stranger? Why was he here? Was he like her? And lastly, why was he smiling so much?

Then he spoke again, breaking her short reverie.

「Oh, what a surprise! What a thrill!」 Kumagawa suddenly exclaimed, causing the girl to yelp and instinctively jerk back against the wall. 「Who would've guessed that I'd find someone like you in this place? Yes, this must be destiny!」

The more he thought about it, however, the more this seemed like yet another instance of Anshin'in toying with his fragile heart. It wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure.

His mask slipped for a moment as he observed the frail girl huddled protectively against the wall. His perpetual smile looked more hollow than anything else. "You're just like me, aren't you?" His speech lacked its usual pretense. It was weary and surprisingly soft.

The little oni stared at him in silence, thoughtful and considering. She'd seen a lot of strange things in this place, but this person... she just couldn't grasp him.

His words were alien to her ears, yet even so, she felt as if his voice was somehow calling out to her. "Ah?" she rasped a tentative sound, despite her guarded posture.

Kumagawa merely smiled at her reluctance, his mask already sliding back in place with that simple gesture. 「Come on, don't be scared now. I am definitely not the bad guy here. I am the dashing protagonist who came to your rescue against all odds!」 He reassured, ending his over the top act with a wink.

The young girl wasn't very convinced by his attempt. She growled at him in return.

Completely unfazed by the act, Kumagawa kept his posture as laidback as when he first stepped inside the room.

His lack of reaction confused the horned girl. He wasn't afraid of her? Why? Why didn't he react like the others?

Her stoic expression made way for a curious one as she silently observed him. She couldn't feel any of the fear or disgust that she usually felt from the others. It was really strange, but not unpleasant.

Unbeknownst to her, the strange boy she was facing had thoughts going along similar lines.

Intent on rousing some sort of reaction from him, the little oni did what her instincts told her to do in the situation. She bared her teeth at him in what she hoped was a menacing gesture.

"Grah!"

It... didn't have the intended effect. It did the opposite, actually.

The Minus merely smiled wider at her, most likely finding her growl to be cute or something. It wouldn't be something unusual for a deviant like him, so really, not much of a surprise there.

「That was cute. I really liked it. But you should try to use your diaphragm a bit more. It will make you sound a lot more threatening next time,」 the boy offered helpfully. 「Still, for your effort, I give you 20 points~!」

The girl stared at him in abject confusion. "Ah?" she rasped, the uncertainty visible on her face.

Kumagawa cocked his head sideways. 「Ah?」 he parroted, sounding equally puzzled.

Frustrated and confused, the young oni bared her teeth at him again, letting out another growl.

"Grargh!"

Surprisingly enough, it appeared that she'd taken his previous suggestion to heart, as her voice came out more threatening this time.

But that aside, it seemed that even with the language barrier, she could somehow still tell that he was trying to mess with her. Then again, his frivolous smile was probably the dead giveaway.

「Wow, you learn really fast. I'm impressed!」 Kumagawa cheered enthusiastically. 「That's another 20 points for you right there! Congratulations~! For your amazing effort, you win my undivided attention!」 Amusingly enough, he sounded as if she didn't already have it. A Joker through and through.

The horned girl looked at him as if he was a strange alien life-form. Though, given his circumstances, she wouldn't be wrong about it. Technically, at least. But she didn't know that.

Nevertheless, she kept staring at him, those sorrowed eyes shining with a curious glint. He was different from the other people that she'd seen, strange even. In a good sense, she thought.

Seeing her befuddled face, the Minus snapped his fingers in realization. 「Oh, I get it! You don't understand me, do you?」 he concluded, nodding sagely. 「Don't worry, I don't mind it. It's much better than being purposefully ignored, so I'm totally okay with it!」

His spirited words were met with no answer, however.

The little oni merely kept staring at him in silence, carefully taking in his every feature.

His clothes were strange, unlike anything she'd seen so far. What were those? Some sort of black uniform? It didn't look bad on him. They seemed to be fitting.

She was really curious about him. But her curiosity was underlined by fear. Partly of him, and more of the unknown. He was unlike anyone else that she'd seen, and that made her afraid. She knew so little about the outside world, and he was clearly an anomaly to her. Someone that she didn't understand. And she feared what she didn't understand.

He seemed harmless at a glance, friendly even. But then, what was that nagging feeling at the back of her mind? Her instincts warned her that he spelled trouble in a sense. For whom, she wasn't sure. But even so, he was being nice to her. He was the only one who'd been so nice to her so far...

Perhaps she was mistaken about him?

If he wanted to harm her, he would've done so already, wouldn't he? Could it be something to make her lower her guard?

But then, what was that reaction earlier? He'd felt really genuine that time when he looked at her. She could almost see herself in his eyes. And they surely didn't lie. His expression wouldn't reveal much, but in that brief moment, she saw something. A glimpse of what lurked beneath his unusual smile. And strangely enough, it reminded her of herself.

Yes, his smile didn't feel right, and he had a really creepy air around himself. But her own skin was red, and she had horns, didn't she? He didn't seem to mind her appearance. He was being nice to her, so why shouldn't she do the same?

Yes, there was no reason not to.

In the meantime, Kumagawa was spending his time idly looking at the quiet girl, contemplating about god knew what. As expected, he didn't seem to mind her prolonged, intent staring. If anything, he most likely thought that she was being particularly cute about it. Then again, being the kind of person he was, his opinion had to be taken with a grain of salt. Or preferably not at all.

Suddenly, the Minus extended one of his hands at the girl. Whether it was on a whim, or deliberately done, no one could really tell. But such a detail didn't exactly matter in the end, did it?

「You know, this place looks really gloomy and depressing, don't you agree?」 he commented, breaking the silent atmosphere. 「I can tell that you don't really like being in here any more than I do, so how about we go outside and have some fun instead?」

The girl was completely taken aback by the gesture. "Ah...?" she rasped, unsure of what to do.

Why was he doing this? Was it a human gesture?

Did it mean something important? She felt like it did.

After a long beat of silence, and with a tentative expression, the little oni slowly reached for his outstretched hand. As she was about to accept his gesture, however, an inexplicable feeling warned her of something unpleasant. But she didn't really understand what it meant, so she decided to ignore it.

Her mouth twitched in the tiniest of smiles when she felt the warmth of his palm. "Ah..." she muttered softly, her bright eyes glimmering with that tiny, innocent spark from before.

Kumagawa's usual smile suddenly faltered when he felt the girl's tiny fingers gingerly clasp around his own. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, his uneven bangs casting an ominous shadow over his eyes.

The young girl almost scurried away when she noticed the sudden change in his demeanor, but she chose to fight off her irrational fear and didn't let go of his hand.

A moment later, the silent Minus returned to his cheerful persona and smiled wide at the girl holding his hand.「Ah! You took my hand so wholeheartedly and without even hesitating! How unexpected! How touching! I'm so happy that I could cry right now!」

Unsurprisingly, he started crying in a dramatic fashion as soon as he said that.

"Ah?" the horned girl looked in mild confusion at his outburst. Did she do something wrong? She didn't think so. She just grabbed his hand and was gently holding it. The boy was really strange, so it was probably just something that he did.

Wiping his crocodile tears with his other hand, Kumagawa glanced back at his newest companion. 「Don't misunderstand me. These aren't tears of sadness. I'm just glad to find someone in this world who isn't repulsed by my disgusting nature. But maybe you are too young to even understand it, huh?」 He seemed to ponder for a moment. 「Well, it doesn't really matter. I'll just take whatever kindness I can get.」

The girl didn't have much time to react when the Minus sharply turned around, almost twirling her like a little ballerina in the process. 「And that being said, let's go!」 he said in excitement, pulling her closer to himself.

"Ah!"

The little oni yelped in surprise when a cold rush of air whipped at her face, courtesy of the glass window disappearing in front of her once again.

「I'm not sure if I have what it takes to act like a gentleman, but since you are so innocent and cute, I'll make an exception just for you this time,」 Kumagawa spoke with a smirk, indicating at the makeshift staircase still embedded in the outer wall. 「Therefore, ladies first!」

The girl looked inquisitively at the strange, metallic objects protruding from the wall. They were aligned in a familiar shape that resembled a set of stairs.

With small, cautious steps, and without letting go of the boy's hand, she walked outside her room for the first time. The sight that welcomed her eyes immediately brought her to a stop.

It was white and cold, and there was snow everywhere! The world felt so much brighter than it did from behind the glass windows of her room.

Unfortunately, she didn't get to enjoy the snowy scenery for too long, because as soon as the smiling Minus moved to do the same, he accidentally slipped on one of his large screws that were made slippery by the melted snow and promptly lost his balance.

He didn't seem shocked by this turn of events and didn't even attempt to regain his footing, resigning himself to the impending fall instead. And naturally, he managed to drag another person down with him.

The small girl yelped in surprise when she suddenly found herself falling, her grip on the boy's hand tightening as she closed her eyes and braced for the impact.

Fortunately for her, she managed to land on top of him, which cushioned most of her fall, leaving her with only a mild scare and no overall injury.

Kumagawa, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He managed to impact the ground loudly enough to make a nearby squirrel flee for the woods. That aside, he idly noted that the audible crack must have been his spine snapping like a dried twig.

If his face wasn't currently buried in a mound of cold snow, he might have enjoyed the overall feeling of numbness a bit more. But as things stood, his position was decidedly unpleasant. Well, at least his leg wasn't itching anymore, so there was that.

Craning his head to the side, the teenage boy noticed the horned girl giving him a concerned look. She seemed to be genuinely worried about him. Ah, it was so touching and cute! Too bad he was paralyzed, because otherwise he might have hugged her just for that.

「Don't worry, little girl!」 Kumagawa cheerfully assured, his perpetual smile completely belying the supposed gravity of the situation. 「With the power of my Minus, my broken spine is now nothing!」

He paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating something.

Yep, that didn't come out right.

「What I meant is that I am completely fine!」 he quickly corrected himself. 「Yes, that's it.」

And with that, he simply got up and dusted himself off, acting as if the past minute of life he'd spent as a cripple didn't ever occur.

The little oni stared at him in a mixture of childlike wonder and confusion. She didn't understand a thing of what he said, but she could tell he was okay. And she was content with just that.

Quickly regaining his previous zeal, Kumagawa moved to take the lead once more. 「Alright, let's go, go, go! It's time for an adventure!」 he cheered, before walking in a random direction.

"Ah!" the girl exclaimed, trying to mimic his enthusiasm. She immediately scurried over to his side, taking his hand in her own as they walked together through the snow.


	2. Kumagawa's Bizarre Adventure

**Disclaimer:** **I own nothing besides the original concepts and narratives that I have introduced in this story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

 **Kumagawa's Bizarre Adventure,**

* * *

She stared in silent wonder at her surroundings, her bright emerald eyes taking in every little detail of the wintry scenery.

This was her first experience of the outside world. It was covered in white and cold.

Everything around her was completely unfamiliar. The many trees. The blanketing snow. The various animals. The distant sky.

Everything... except for one thing.

Him. The person walking by her side.

Her childlike features scrunched up cutely as the little oni silently observed her abnormally cheerful companion, studying him from up close for the second time since they've first met.

With his hands resting in his pockets and his laidback demeanor, he looked like he didn't have a single care in the world as he strolled through the snowy path alongside her.

He was such a strange person.

She had no idea who he was or where he came from, but she didn't think too much of these details. She was more curious about the way he treated her.

He had an unsettling air surrounding him, and she could sometimes sense a really ominous disposition coming from him. But she could tell that none of that was directed at her.

He was being genuinely friendly towards her. Even if her young mind couldn't yet grasp many things, she could tell that much about him.

He was the first person to treat her nicely like this, and it made her feel strangely at ease while in his presence.

Warm even...

* * *

Kumagawa sauntered with purpose through the fresh snow while humming a jaunty tune. He still had no idea where he was heading to, but at least it wasn't snowing anymore.

It was still pretty cold, being supposedly winter and such, but it was nowhere near the bone chilling cold from when he first arrived.

The reason for that?

Well...

He kind of got bored with that heavy snowstorm after a while, so he got rid of it. Constantly having snow thrown in his eyes got really annoying after the first ten minutes, and besides, it had served its purpose anyway.

He managed to show off how cool and manly he was by walking unbothered through the harsh blizzard long enough, so there was no reason to keep the freezing temperatures anymore.

Luckily, his cute companion appeared to have a much more cold resistant body than him. She didn't really seem affected by the low temperatures the entire time, despite the fact that she was only wearing a bunch of tattered rags.

Even more of a reason for him to give his best at looking tough in front of her. It would've been really embarrassing for him to chicken out and make the cold weather into nothing right off the bat.

As for the girl he'd just picked up earlier, she was right by his side, easily keeping up with his pace. Well, he wasn't exactly in a rush to begin with, but the point was that her little frame held a surprising amount of energy.

Her lively steps were an obvious cue of her current excitement while her curious gaze took in whatever detail that it could. She seemed to be so caught up in her childlike wonder that even he didn't feel like interrupting her right now.

But that aside, the Minus wondered what awaited him in this brave new world. He had a feeling that something interesting was waiting for him right around the metaphorical corner, and he couldn't help but get a little excited at the thought.

For someone like him, the prospect of challenging himself once again was too alluring to ignore. He was, after all, someone who just wanted to have a victory that he could call his own. For that seemingly unattainable goal, he would endlessly toil away, no matter what.

Sure, he already had a cute companion coming along for the ride, but he'd read enough manga to know that there can't be a good story without some sort of overarching conflict. And as much as he wanted to factor in the possibility of a romantic route as the source, life taught him so far that he shouldn't be having many expectations, if any at all.

In other words, he'd rather be surprised than disappointed. But he would still hope, of course!

A smile stretched his lips as he vaguely remembered a saying about hope being eternal.

Well, it was obvious that whoever came up with that saying clearly didn't consider how it only applied until said hope was promptly shattered into tiny pieces.

But that topic aside, knowing _her_ tendencies, he really doubted that he would've found himself in this world if there wasn't at least something unusual going on around here. So it was just a matter of figuring out whether that conflict already existed, or if he had to instigate one himself.

He honestly hoped for the latter, though judging from his past experiences, it was pretty obvious that he had a really bad record with things going his way.

Not that something cheap like that would stop him from betting against all odds, duh!

* * *

A soft thud followed by a garbled noise suddenly reached Kumagawa's ears, drawing his attention from his short reverie. Blinking his idle thoughts away, he glanced sideways at his young companion, a blank smile on his face.

The girl somehow managed to trip over something and was now lying facedown in the snow.

Seeing this, the Minus couldn't resist the urge to tease her a little. 「Eh? What's wrong? You tripped over my shadow or something?」 He gave a noncommittal shrug at his joke, which turned out to be way too lame even for his supposedly nonexistent dignity to handle. 「Well, it's not something to worry about. It kinda happens to everyone at some point.」

Raising her head with a loud gasp, the little oni looked around in silent apprehension. A sudden noise from her surroundings startled her, drawing a warning growl in response.

Kumagawa wasn't sure if she growled at his failing sense of humor, or at the ambient sounds of nature that might have put her on edge. Naturally, he assumed that it was the former, but a loud caw from a nearby bird made him reconsider.

Caught off guard by the sharp shrill, the little oni growled again. She kept threatening the unfamiliar sounds of nature into submission, until a trio of mice suddenly caught her attention as they passed by in front of her.

"Ah!"

Leaping around through the snow, she followed after the tiny critters in a comical fashion, intent on catching one of them.

Once she managed to catch her prey, she was ready to stuff her mouth with one of the small rodents when an amused voice interjected from the sidelines.

「Wow, you must be really hungry. Or maybe you just have a hidden predatory streak inside of you? I'm sure that would be endearing.」 Kumagawa's exaggerated enthusiasm was in stark contrast with his blank smile. 「Still, I wish I had something nice and tasty to feed you. But the truth is that we are probably going to end up starving if we have to rely on me to provide the food. Or pretty much anything else, for that matter.」 He added as an afterthought.

Turning around, the young girl looked at the smiling boy in mild surprise, her cheeks puffed with her struggling prey.

The mouse was halfway stuck inside her mouth as she tried to swallow it whole in one go, but the approaching boy interrupted her.

「Even if food poisoning might seem like a better alternative to death by starvation, I'm sure there are arguably better things to eat around here. Like questionably edible berries or suspicious looking mushrooms, for example. Getting some nasty disease might not be the worst thing that could happen, though you can never know for sure.」

Kumagawa expected to receive a look that implied he was the aforementioned disease, but that never happened. His companion was most likely too young for that level of snark.

Shrugging at the thought, he approached the hungry girl as she struggled to swallow the mouse halfway stuck in her mouth and reached with a hand to pluck it out by its swishing tail.

But as with most other things, his attempt at being helpful and considerate didn't go as intended.

Startled from her meal by the unexpected gesture, instinct overtook the little oni all at once. She recoiled with a sudden jerk, before vigorously chomping down on the offending appendage.

In hindsight, this turn of events should have probably been obvious to the boy, since trying to take the only source of food from a hungry monster girl didn't strike him as the wisest choice of action. But Kumagawa wasn't exactly the type of person to ever bother with unnecessary things such as hindsight, so it didn't really matter.

Besides, he'd indirectly managed to get that mouse out of her mouth, so his questionable intention hadn't been completely put to waste. And that was all that mattered in the end.

Right?

Hmm...

Tilting his head in slight confusion, the Minus briefly wondered if it was okay to let the girl have her figurative and literal pound of flesh in this situation.

Out of curiosity, he tried to move his hand out of her clenched jaws. Surprisingly enough, it didn't really budge from the vice like grip.

It looked like the girl had a pretty mean bite for someone her age, though Kumagawa didn't seem to care about the sharp teeth digging into his skin to the point of drawing blood.

He just kept smiling at the oni as she treated his hand like some sort of glorified chew toy.

「I know what I said earlier, but I'm not exactly on the menu, you know?」 the Minus said in amusement, playfully wagging a finger at her. 「Then again, if you just took that one saying literally, then you're probably right. After all, there's no reason not to bite the hand that offered to feed you, right?」

Kumagawa cupped his chin in thought with his free hand.

「Still, it's probably better if you don't.」 He concluded after a short pause. 「Uncooked meat can be dangerous to your health, and I'm not sure how I feel about setting my hand on fire right now. So how about we try to find a rabbit or something else to barbecue instead?」

If there was something that could have topped off the current situation, it was most likely just what the Minus chose to do next.

That is, reaching out with his other hand and starting to pat the girl's head.

Flinching at the sudden contact, the little oni expected pain to come as it usually did when she bit one of those people in white. Only to look up at the boy in confusion when nothing like that happened as the time passed.

The frivolous smile that quickly met her wide eyes certainly did not help with her situation. After all, what kind of person smiled like that after getting their hand bit for almost an entire minute?

It was not normal.

Not only wasn't she punished for what she did, but she could still feel her hair being gently caressed by his hand. Her jaws immediately slackened at the familiar gesture, freeing the hand from her mouth.

Following another glance at the smiling Minus, her expression sank dejectedly, and she nervously bit one of her fingers. Her voice then came out in a soft rasp tinged with regret at her previous action.

"Ah..."

The girl felt genuinely sorry for biting her only companion, but at the same time, she couldn't understand his unusual reaction. Her small mind just couldn't wrap itself around most of his behavior.

Then again, no one could blame her for that. Her confusion was only natural, since this was Kumagawa to begin with.

「Don't worry, I'm not mad at you or anything. Getting my hand bit by such a cute girl is not something I've experienced before, so I'm really thrilled about it!」 Frivolous smile still in place, the Minus offered the downcast oni the same hand, his previous wound nowhere to be seen now. 「Here, you can bite me again if that makes you feel any better. I promise I won't mind it.」

Blinking a couple times, the girl eyed the hand extended in front of her face with an unsure gaze. "Ah?"

She was probably just being puzzled, though from an outside perspective it looked more like she was questioning the young man's intelligence.

Even the trio of mice from earlier were silently watching the Minus from a nearby patch of snow, probably also baffled at the boy's lack of self preservation instincts.

Seeing her reluctance, Kumagawa simply offered a blank smile in return. 「It's okay if you don't want to do it. I probably wouldn't want to bite myself either. It's better to save your energy for more important stuff, anyway.」 He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, before glancing at the rising sun in the distance. 「Speaking of which, maybe we should keep going? It's still pretty early, and there's probably more to see around here, so we'd better make it count.」

Straightening his posture and slipping his arms in his pockets in an attempt to look cool, the boy began making his way through the snow at a languid pace. Seeing this, the girl accompanying him snapped out of her reverie and quickly followed.

* * *

Kumagawa abruptly stopped from his leisure walk through the woods as he realized something. 「Oh!」 His dramatic gasp startled his young companion from her walk.

Wide, emerald eyes looked at the strange boy in curiosity. She could tell that he wasn't hurt, but she had no idea what made him act like that.

Despite her confusion, the Minus simply looked at the girl with his usual smile. 「Ahh! I was so struck by your charm that I forgot to introduce myself!」 Winking, he pointed at himself. 「I am Kumagawa Misogi, the best worst Minus that you could have ever met. I hope we can get along well!」

"Ah?"

Her soft rasp made it pretty clear that he still had a rather long way before establishing any sort of verbal communication with the little oni.

Nonetheless, Kumagawa was not deterred by such an impediment.

If there was any redeeming quality to his character, it was the fact that he could be really persistent if he wanted. Though such a trait could be easily taken as a negative point, so even that logic would fall short in the end.

「I would ask you for your name, but something tells me that you don't have one.」 He seemed to ponder something for a moment. 「Then again, my gut feeling is probably just a result of me not getting to eat any breakfast today? Hmm. Now that I think about it, I'm probably gonna miss those cereal.」

The girl just kept staring at him in confusion.

「I wonder if they have my favorite brand of cereal here? It would be really nice. But knowing my luck, they probably don't. It's a shame, really.」

Needless to say, the Minus kept talking like they were having a real conversation. Though knowing him, it was probably because he finally had the chance to talk to a cute girl without being constantly shot down.

Or maybe he just had a feeling that his words weren't completely lost on her ears?

It was anyone's guess, really.

「By the way, what do you think of this adventure so far? Is it fun? Are you enjoying it?」 He asked. 「Well, even if you aren't, it's the company that matters in the end, right? At least, that's what I've heard others say.」

The little oni looked at him with her wide, expressive eyes. She blinked once. Twice. "Ah...?" Her soft rasp sounded particularly adorable, though whether she did it on purpose or not was debatable.

Kumagawa returned her cute act with a blank smile. 「Eh? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now. We've just started, you know?」 He gestured around him. 「Then again, this snow is colder than it looks, so maybe you have a point? I would know that, if the past hour was anything to go by.」

"Ah..." Her well timed reply could have easily led one to wonder whether the two of them were actually managing some form of communication after all.

As absurd as that sounded, it really seemed as if the Minus somehow understood his little companion to an almost uncanny level. Amusingly enough, it looked like his own absurdity allowed him to better grasp something as irrational as the mind of a young monster girl from another world.

It was either that, or Kumagawa was just randomly saying stuff off the top of his head.

「I meant that literally, you know? Since you are barefoot, how about a pair of shoes? Frostbite is almost as bad as it sounds, so you might want to avoid it.」 A frown briefly creased the boy's brow when he realized something. 「Oh, wait. I don't have any spare shoes. Silly me!」 His smile made a quick comeback as he rummaged through his pockets. 「But I have something waaay cooler~!」 He said dramatically, before pulling out a roll of white fabric. 「Bandages!」

Those were most likely leftovers from that time when his Minus decided to malfunction. Wearing bandages under his uniform might have looked badass, but they really made his skin itch like crazy after a while.

The girl stared at the piece of rolled fabric in curiosity, silently wondering about its use.

But since Kumagawa was the type of person known to have a very questionable order of priorities, it was nothing unusual for him to abruptly ignore the task at hand in favor of something completely random.

Such as the strange object on her ankle that suddenly caught his eyes while he was thinking about a way to wrap those bandages around her feet.

「Oh? What's this?」

It looked like some sort of id tag to him, but since he didn't want to appear as too shallow and superficial too soon in front of his cute companion, Kumagawa decided to further investigate.

That, and curiosity quickly got the better of him.

So by the time the little oni noticed what he was up to, the intrigued Minus was already crouching down in front of her and inspecting the small device strapped to her ankle with an inquisitive gaze.

Which naturally only served to further confuse the little oni, as it was already pretty hard for her to keep up with his erratic behavior, and even more so when she didn't even understand half of it.

Kumagawa on the other hand... decided to take full advantage of his current positioning.

Being a proper boy in this regard, he couldn't resist the urge to look up in an attempt to glimpse at the sight hidden beneath the girl's robe. Unfortunately for him, it was too dark in there to discern anything beyond vague shapes, so he could only give up in the end.

With a blank smile on his face, the Minus was already pretending that nothing happened once his attention returned to the strange object around her ankle.

「Hmm? Some sort of id number? A name tag?」 He mused out loud. 「Code 002, huh?」 An idea struck him shortly after. 「Oh, I know! What if I give you a name based on that?」 He said. 「Since I'm going to help you walk the same path as a main character, you will need a nice name to go along with it. That would be cool, right?」

What was more impressive than his enthusiastic speech was the simple fact that he could say it with a straight face and a smile right after his failed attempt at peeking under an underaged girl's garments.

Meanwhile, said little girl seemed none the wiser to any of this, as she still had almost no idea about what her strange companion was trying to do. She was just staring at him in silence, most likely waiting for him to do something within her range of comprehension that she could properly react to.

Kumagawa cupped his chin in contemplation. 「Let's see... 002... Oni?」 He smiled blankly. That was way too unimaginative even for him. Hmm... 「Dioxide?」 There was a small pause while his mind caught up with what just left his mouth. 「Since I actually seem to like you so far, I'm probably not going to name you that.」

Dioxide-chan had a nice ring to it, though he'd probably save that for another time. Rather than an actual name, it was more like something he would say just to flat out tease her.

Still, he couldn't decide whether it was a surprisingly clever pun, or the dumbest thing that he'd come up with during the entire day.

It was a good thing that his young companion couldn't understand his words, though that didn't help him at all, as she seemed pretty able to read his intentions to some extent.

So it wasn't much of a mystery why her lips suddenly drew an angry line when she frowned at him.

The smiling Minus was completely unbothered by her cute glare. 「Maybe we should just keep it simple, huh?」 He mused airily. 「How about Zero Two then? I think that sounds just fine.」

His words left the little oni staring at him with wide eyes. There was something about those two words and the way he said them that struck her as unique.

 _Zero Two?_

A name? He gave her a name? But why? She never had a name, so why would he give her one?

It made almost no sense to her small mind, yet a part of her was recklessly latching onto it. For her, someone who barely knew happiness of any sort, she'd gladly take anything she could get.

"Eo To."

The spoken syllables tasted strange on her tongue that was not used to any sort of speech, yet she struggled to force them out nonetheless.

「Wawawa, you can speak?!」 Kumagawa exclaimed in response. 「Please say something before next time, you almost scared me to death here!」 He pointed a shaky finger at her, trying his best to sound surprised and almost frightening the poor girl in the process.

She eyed him warily for a moment, though her previous thoughts quickly prevailed over his sudden mood change. After all, he'd just given her something that no one else did. Something that she'd never known.

A name.

 _Zero Two!_

Her name.

"Eo To!" She repeated those two words, feeling strangely empowered by the feeling they brought forth.

She had a name now! Another pretty thing! And he gave it to her!

「Looks like you're fine even with my lack of creativity.」 The Minus pointed out, his trademark smile already back in place. 「That's a good thing, because I doubt you could get a refund at this point.」

The girl didn't look like she wanted any refund, though.

"Eo To!" She said with more vigor, motioning with her arms as she looked at the boy.

Kumagawa cupped his chin in contemplation while observing her act. 「Hmm. Well, if you put it that way, then sure, why not?」 He dismissed his thoughts with a shrug and smirked. 「Since you really seem to like your name, I guess it's totally fine.」

Still...

His logic was undeniable.

"EO TO!"

There was enough childlike enthusiasm radiating from the girl that it almost seemed infectious, and as expected, it didn't take Kumagawa longer than a couple seconds to start cheering her on.

「Yep! That's the spirit, Zero Two!」

"Ah!"

Her excitement was clear as day.

「That being said, let's go!」 The Minus was about to turn around and resume his walk when he remembered something. 「Oh, wait. I almost forgot! Gotta fix that shoe problem of yours first.」

The little oni looked at him curiously.

Kumagawa pointed a finger at a nearby rock, and she followed it with her gaze.

「Take a seat there, and get yourself comfortable.」

It took her a few moments to figure out what he was trying to tell her, but once she did, she happily moved to sit on the large rock.

Zero Two spread her arms in excitement. "Ah!" She sounded almost as if she was waiting for the boy to continue.

「Nice.」 Kumagawa nodded with a grin, giving her a thumbs up. She mimicked his gesture, bobbing her head up and down enthusiastically.

His grin promptly widened.

「Now I want you to spread your legs a little, so I can start working my magic down there.」 Pausing for a moment, he cupped his chin in thought. 「Hmm, I wonder if this could be taken out of context?」

Yep. Totally.

「Does the PG-13 rule even apply in this world?」 Dismissing his musings with a casual shrug, the Minus moved next to the rock. 「Eh, whatever. I really doubt that you can understand innuendos at this point, so it's most likely fine.」

Emerald eyes looked in curiosity as the boy took that same roll of white fabric from earlier out of his pocket, before crouching down in front of her.

She gave a surprised gasp when his fingers brushed against her skin, unused to such contact, but she watched him intently as he began wrapping the fabric around her right foot. His hands moved nimbly as he kept doing circular motions with the roll, and half a minute later, he was already repeating the process to her other leg.

Given his past records, Kumagawa had some pretty good hands-on experience when it came to bandaging things. But unfortunately for him, it was beyond unlikely that anybody would count something like that on his resume.

So, at the end of the day, this was just another useless skill in his repertoire.

The Minus ended his handiwork by tying a tiny bow above each of her ankles. 「There you go, it's all done!」 He spoke up as he rose back to his feet. 「Do you like it?」

Zero Two looked in wonder at the white fabric covering her feet.

"Uwah!"

Leaping down from the rock, she began jumping around animatedly, overcome by her childlike enthusiasm.

Her new wrappings were soft around her feet and they kept the cold snow from bothering her too much. She really liked them. But a part of her liked them even more because they were given to her by the strange boy.

She looked up at her smiling companion and motioned with her arms in an attempt to communicate.

To Kumagawa, who'd never seen a girl do a cute act like this from up close, it was a real treat.

「It's been a while since anyone has shown me this kind of appreciation.」 Turning around, he placed his hands in his pockets. 「If I didn't know better, I'd think that you are trying to make me fall for you~!」

Looking over his shoulder with a smile, he cheered at the little girl. 「Come on, let's get back to our adventure!」

"Ah!" Zero Two quickly followed after him, skipping through the snow in her excitement.

* * *

 _She didn't understand his words, but she knew that his voice called to her._

 _She saw things with him._

 _She walked with him._

 _And it was so much fun._

* * *

Kumagawa motioned with a hand at a nearby stream of water. 「That's a river.」 He said as they approached it, stopping to look at its surface. 「And that's a fish.」

Zero Two stared in wonder at the small creature struggling to swim against the currents.

「Wow, look at that little guy go!」 The Minus exclaimed as he joined her. 「What a champ!」

Adopting a thoughtful look, he kept watching the critter as it moved further up the stream. For all intents and purposes, it was supposed to be a common sight of nature.

But leave it to Kumagawa to find something reproachable about it.

「There's the terrain advantage though, so you can't give it too much credit in the end.」 He said with a casual wave of his hand. 「After all, fish are pretty much designed to swim, aren't they?」

Clever in its design, the world always seemed to find a way to remind the smiling boy of his misfortunate nature, despite the fact that he never listened, or cared for that matter.

Then again, his currently good mood was enough of a reason to completely disregard an irksome reminder like this. After all, he had more interesting thoughts to occupy himself with.

"Ah?"

Noticing the girl's curious gaze, Kumagawa smirked as he pointed in the distance at the barely visible fish. 「That little guy has it way too easy. I can only imagine how nice it must be living as a fish.」

Case in point, it was just like him to feel jealous over a fish of all things.

Still, it couldn't be denied that there was truth in his reasoning, and even more surprising, some sort of actual logic.

Spreading his arms wide, the Minus made an attempt to appear particularly cool. 「If life was that simple for us, then we wouldn't be standing here right now. However, our daily struggle has its own charm, doesn't it?」

As expected, this sort of cryptic response only served to further confuse the little oni.

The Minus merely shook his head at her reaction.

It didn't matter if she couldn't understand it right now. Even without his prodding, she would eventually figure it out herself.

For when it came to those like them, the world always made sure of that.

「But this learning experience aside,」 Kumagawa's thoughtful disposition was quickly dismissed with a frivolous smile. 「It's a shame that I don't have a fishing rod with me. I heard that fishing can be a fun activity, even when you fail to catch anything.」

It looked like he wasn't completely over the previous matter involving that fish. That, or he was just being particularly petty about it. It wasn't unlike him to act like this merely on a whim.

「Well, I guess we can try it some other time.」 He said with a casual wave of his hand as he glanced back at his companion.

She was giving him an adorably inquisitive look that really made him want to do some morally questionable things to her, despite her young age.

Like a gentle head-pat, for example. Or maybe a hug without consent?

Both options were equally appealing, that was certain. And since this was Kumagawa after all, it was pretty much obvious what he would go for, given the chance.

All or nothing all the way! Such was his creed that never led him astray.

But speaking of which...

He still had absolutely no clue where they were heading. They were probably still in the general area. Though beyond that, it was only a matter of guessing.

And whether guessing right or wrong, there was still a high enough chance for them to end up going in circles, so at least they had that as an assurance. Meaning that he couldn't possibly get lost.

After all, one can't get lost if they don't know where they are heading in the first place, right?

Not that it mattered much, anyway.

After all, on adventures like this, destination was just an afterthought! The company was what truly mattered in the end, wasn't it?

That, and of course, having fun. And when it came to having fun, he was pretty much king of the hill. So it didn't take him longer than half a minute to come up with something new and exciting to try next.

「Yep, that's it!」 His fist met his palm in a sudden gesture of realization. 「Since catching that fish from earlier and roasting it for lunch is impossible right now, I'll just have to teach you something fun instead.」

Zero Two quickly noticed his spike in enthusiasm. "Ah?" She kept her curious gaze fixated on him.

A smirk crawled on the boy's lips. 「First you have to lie down on the snow.」 He began in a suspiciously innocent tone, pointing at the ground. 「Then you need to spread your arms and legs as wide as you can, and after that you just keep doing it back and forth until you create a nice shape.」

Despite his genial grin, the girl didn't make any move from her spot.

It was obviously due to her inability to understand him, but there could always be a second cause when it came to Kumagawa.

Such as the instinctual aversion a member of the opposite genre might have toward any of his proposals. Knowing his luck, he was most likely not exempt from that even in another world.

But as things stood in particular right now, it seemed there was some sort of deviation from the general pattern when it came to his new companion.

Not really surprising, considering how she wasn't exactly human to begin with. Something that ultimately worked both in and against his favor.

In other words, Zero Two was willing to give her companion the benefit of the doubt, despite the fact that such a thing should never be done under good conscience.

Then again, she was a red skinned alien child for all he knew, so bringing something as good conscience in the context was a bit much of a stretch.

The Minus cupped his chin in contemplation.

「I suppose that I have to show you first, huh? It would only make sense, given how you aren't able to understand what I'm saying, save for the general intent and meaning of my words.」

Smiling at the girl, he lightly bopped his head while sticking his tongue out playfully. 「How silly of me to act like it was otherwise!」

Zero Two just kept giving him a curious stare, unsure of what to make of his strange behavior.

「Okay then. It's time for some snow angels!」 Kumagawa cheered.

Saying that, he immediately plopped himself on the cold snow, unbothered by the sudden chill that enveloped his body.

「And now, this is how it goes!」

With a frivolous smile, he started moving his arms and legs like he was trying to catch up on a missed childhood.

Zero Two watched the boy flail in the snow, her emerald eyes wide with wonder. She didn't understand what he was doing, but it looked like he was having fun.

"Uwah!"

That reason alone was enough to convince her.

Kumagawa paused for a moment to look at his companion. 「You might look like a red oni, but I think you would make a really pretty angel.」 He said with an unashamed grin, despite the cheesy line. 「There's this cool thing known as gap moe, so you should give it a try. I'm sure you could pull it off with flying colors!」

As much as he sounded like a Casanova wannabe, he somehow still managed to get her even more excited about this strange yet fun activity.

Jumping up and down as if on a sugar rush, Zero Two didn't take long before joining the Minus in the snow. She quickly scooted over to lie down next to him, and then mimicked his previous movements with childlike glee.

Turning his head to the side, Kumagawa grinned at her. 「See? I told you this would be fun!」

"Ah!" Zero Two gasped in excitement as she met his gaze. After that, her limbs moved with even more vigor than before as she kept frolicking in the snow.

The Minus had to suppress a chuckle at that. It seemed that she was really having fun.

That was good, because one never knew when things could take a turn for the worst.

His perpetual smile betrayed no emotion, but deep down he couldn't hide the fact that such a break from his usual life was nice for a change, no matter how fleeting it might be.

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the wide and expressive gaze of his companion fixated on him. It seemed that she was making a habit out of that, though he didn't really mind it.

If he had to be honest, all this attention felt quite nice.

「Ah, you're going to make me blush if you keep doing this!」 Kumagawa said with a sing-song voice. 「But don't worry, I won't make you stop on my account~!」

He almost spoiled the mood with his offhanded comment. Good thing that the girl couldn't really understand him, though she probably wouldn't have minded it either.

Zero Two just kept looking at the strange boy, her eyes glinting with curious innocence. It was really cute, regardless of perspective.

If they were in an anime, this was probably the moment when some heartwarming, sappy music would start playing in the background while the two of them stared silently at each other.

But this wasn't some cheap romcom story, right?


End file.
